2016 Wudan civil unrest
Civil unrest occurred in Wudan from 17th July 2016 until 26th August 2016. Background Course of events On the 17th June, police attempted to arrest several hawkers selling food from carts in the shopping district of Llanover due to concerns regarding hygiene and the fact that the hawkers were unlicensed. In response, the Wudan Democratic Frontline called on its supporters to defend the hawkers, with several hundred showing up and assaulting the police. As such, police reinforcements were called in, with some being equipped with riot gear but many either being in plain clothes or normal uniforms due to a lack of time to respond. By the next day 2AM, the police withdrew and went around a city block with rioters chasing them, but the situation stabilised into a standstill at around 3AM. Fires then began to be lit by rioters at 4AM, forcing the closure of nearby metro stations. The rioters were finally dispersed at 8AM, with calm returning an hour later. In response, at 12PM on the 19th June, Ultraestablishmentarian groups began a march at Williamsville Park, ending at Government Headquarters, the residence of the Chief Executive of Wudan, to show their support for the government. On the way there, they were heckled by individual supporters of the WDF, but at Government Headquarters they were met by several hundred WDF supporters. Police were called in at around 4PM when scuffles broke out. Both sides called on their supporters to come out into the streets, and spontaneous street fights quickly sprung up around the city, overwhelming the police's ability to respond and deal with the situation. As these street battles continued, all sides prepared for a prolonged period of conflict. The Ultraestablishmentarians very quickly obtained an overwhelming advantage in armour. Two BTR-70 armoured personnel carriers that had been confiscated by the Customs and Excise Department in an illegal shipment in 2000 were taken from the Adventure Corps Training Camp by the Ultraestablishmentarians on the 24th July and were used as battle taxis. Several L1A1 Self-Loading Rifles were also captured from the camp. Museums with weapons and vehicles were also raided by the Ultraestablishmentarians, with various groups capturing a total of fifteen Saracen armoured personnel carriers, six Ferret scout cars, and eighteen Comet tanks by the 29th July, with these all being either retired police vehicles or equipment from the former British garrison left behind as museum pieces. In the meantime, the separatists, acting mainly under the leadership of the WDF occupied several areas and barricaded them off to create no-go zones. The University of Wudan, the United Vernacular University of Wudan, the Wudan American Baptist University, and the City University of Wudan were all occupied by separatist supporters, and certain districts of Bahtfung were also barricaded. Out in the Transboundary Territories, where there were large numbers of abandoned factories and other disused pieces of land, the separatists had set up secret facilities for building explosives, with university laboratories being repurposed for this task as well. The police withdrew primarily to five main stations (including the police headquarters), although all 42 police stations remained operational. One of the main police stations used as a staging point in Llanover effectively remained under siege from the 22nd July until the end of the civil unrest. All leave was cancelled and the Police Standby Reserve was put on high alert. However, 870 police officers defected to the Ultraestablishmentarian cause, with another 580 defecting to the separatists. In the face of Ultraestablishmentarians armoured superiority, the police could take little action, being equipped with six Centigon Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5000 armoured personnel carriers, four Jankel Ford F450 Guardian Tactical Intervention Vehicles, six Saxon AT 105 armoured personnel carriers, and a single WZ-551 armoured personnel carrier assigned to the local explosive ordnance disposal unit. Starting from the 5th August, the Ultraestablishmentarians were supplied with 76.2 mm rounds for their Comet tanks through Tabi'atstani shipments, with the shells being sourced from Birshatar, which still used the ammunition for its British Ordnance QF 17-pounder anti-tank guns held in reserve. Throughout the entire episode, the 7,580 men of the Liberation Army of Trevallyland Wudan Garrison were kept in their barracks, with the Trevallyland central government stating that under the Wudan Basic Law, the LAT Garrison is only responsible for the defence of the city and is prohibited from interfering in local affairs. Reactions Subsequent events Arrests Category:Trevallyland Category:Wudan